Tuesday’s Mini-Report, 10.28.14

* Another success story: “Amber Vinson, one of two nurses infected while treating Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan in Dallas, leaves Emory University Hospital in Atlanta Tuesday fully cured of her infection.”

* Related news: “The United States shouldn’t do anything to discourage health care workers from traveling to Ebola-stricken countries, President Barack Obama said Tuesday in remarks that contrasted sharply with the actions of governors who have sought to quarantine doctors and nurses returning from West Africa.”

* New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) “practically dared a nurse to sue him for quarantining her even after she tested negative for Ebola. ‘Whatever. Get in line,’ the brash Republican said Tuesday during a campaign stop in Rhode Island.”

* Iran: “For more than a year, President Hassan Rouhani has been dangling the prospect of a bright economic future before the middle classes that elected him, promising to complete a deal with the West to limit Iran’s nuclear program and end the sanctions hobbling the Iranian economy. While the deadline of Nov. 24 is fast approaching, it is far from clear whether the two camps will agree on a pact.”

* North Korea: “The United Nations’ point man on North Korea’s human rights violations called Tuesday for Pyongyang to be referred to the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity, saying it is time to take actions against the regime ‘to a new level.’”

* Hawaii: “The leading edge of the lava flow from the Kilauea volcano is just 100 yards from the nearest home in Pahoa, Hawaii, where residents are preparing to evacuate. Between Sunday and Monday, the lava flow advanced over 200 yards, moving at an average rate of 10 to 15 yards per hour.”

* Manufacturing: “President Barack Obama on Monday expanded his push for increased manufacturing in the United States by directing federal money toward new technologies, apprenticeship programs and competitions designed to assist small manufacturers.”

* The New England Journal of Medicine does not usually pushback against politicians. Today, it made an exception: “The governors of a number of states, including New York and New Jersey, recently imposed 21-day quarantines on health care workers returning to the United States from regions of the world where they may have cared for patients with Ebola virus disease. We understand their motivation for this policy – to protect the citizens of their states from contracting this often-fatal illness. This approach, however, is not scientifically based, is unfair and unwise, and will impede essential efforts to stop these awful outbreaks of Ebola disease at their source, which is the only satisfactory goal. The governors’ action is like driving a carpet tack with a sledgehammer: it gets the job done but overall is more destructive than beneficial.”